


Make the Yuletide Gay

by GeeLiz_98



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Christmas Fluff, Coming Out, Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Secret Relationship, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:01:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28294992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeeLiz_98/pseuds/GeeLiz_98
Summary: For the first time since they became a couple, Chanyeol invites Baekhyun to travel home with him for Christmas to meet his family.The only trouble is, Chanyeol is yet to tell his family that he is gay.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 6
Kudos: 109





	Make the Yuletide Gay

**Author's Note:**

> There was a slight issue where some of the words vanished??? But I've fixed it now ajsjhakfh
> 
> Enjoy! :D

As a young boy, Baekhyun’s family had never cared much for Christmas. The festival was an exclusively religious affair, more observed out of obligation than for the sake of tidings and joy, much to the great disappointment as the bright-eyed boy who dreamed of Santa arriving on his doorstep, just once.

The one thing his family never objected to was decorating the house for Christmas and while they did so in a reserved and conservative fashion, Baekhyun still loved the way his otherwise dull and frightfully normal home became a wonderland for a few weeks each year. 

His mother only allowed single coloured, yellow christmas lights but to Baekhyun they were like tiny little stars that he could hold in his tiny hands. She never allowed tinsel, only ever strings of golden beads to drape over the branches of their Christmas fern but to Baekhyun, they were the height of opulence. The gifts under the tree were never from Santa but he lost sleep for days before the 25th agonising over the idea of not being able to touch them, to tear apart the paper and discover which book he had been gifted, or the new smart outfit he had been given to wear to mass. 

Though Baekhyun knew that his Christmas was different, it wasn’t any less special. The memories of reds and greens and spices and corals weren’t any less fond in his memory. Even as a grown man who had lost contact with his mother many years before, he still looked back on that young boy with a smile, basking in the remnants of magic and happiness that he felt while watching the Christmas lights glisten from his bedroom window on Christmas Eve. 

Some memories, however, exist to be outdone and the Christmasses Baekhyun had witnessed since meeting Chanyeol were leagues above the ones he had witnessed as a child. 

In many ways, combining one’s entire existence with another human being’s can be quite challenging; one has always cooked in a certain way, the other has always folded their clothes another way, one of them sleeps with the aircon on while the other had never had air conditioning in their life. But Christmas was no area of conflict for Baekhyun or Chanyeol as Baekhyun had been more than happy to leave his idea of Christmas in the past and welcome a new, more exciting, bigger celebration. 

Well, for the most part. There was still one area they couldn’t quite agree on. 

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun hollered over the blaring Christmas music that played from their TV, as well as having to compete with his partner’s loud singing, “Chanyeol! Are you listening?”

Evidently, Chanyeol was not listening as he was far too absorbed in perfectly imitating Mariah Carey’s intricate runs. Baekhyun was almost impressed by the level of success but he still paused the music, immediately pausing Chanyeol’s fun. 

“Hey! What did you do that for?!” Chanyeol complained, doing so with such vigour that the ladder he was standing on wobbled precariously. Thankfully, Baekhyun had very quick reflexes and caught it before it brought down Chanyeol and the gigantic tree. It was probably best that Baekhyun held onto the ladder for support. 

“Sorry but I wanted to talk to my beautiful boyfriend,” Baekhyun pouted and fluttered his eyelashes in a way that he knew made Chanyeol swoon, “is that a problem?” 

“No, no, no! Of course not,” Chanyeol climbed down from the ladder, nearly pulling it right over in the process, and pulled Baekhyun into his arms, “what’s up?” He looked down at his shorter boyfriend with concerned eyes, giving him his full undivided attention in the way that Chanyeol always did, “what’s wrong? Tell me.”

Baekhyun sighed dramatically, before meeting his boyfriend’s eyes, “I just don’t think you care about how I feel, Chanyeol. I think that you’ve decided what’s best for you without consulting me and it’s not acceptable,” he flinched a little at the way his boyfriend’s eyebrows shot up, his intense, emotional eyes widening comically. His mouth bobbed like a fish before Baekhyun carried on, “see, I thought my opinion mattered to you-”

“It does! It does,” Chanyeol rushed out.

“Well, then why do we have so much fucking TINSEL then?” Baekhyun complained like a child, stomping his feet like a toddler and wiggling his body in a strop, “I hate, hate, hate it and it’s EVERYWHERE. Do you know how hard that shit is to clean up? Huh? It’s a nightmare!”

For a second, Chanyeol looked completely stunned, barely blinking as he took in what Baekhyun had just said. Then he snapped back to reality and he looked pissed. 

“Byun Baekhyun!” He shouted before moving to pull a gleefully screeching Baekhyun into a headlock, “you scared,” he went to give him a noogie, “the shit out of me!”

He rubbed his knuckles on Baekhyun’s head which only led to even more joyful screaming before Baekhyun slid out of Chanyeol’s secretly really loose hold and bolted across the living room, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Ahh! I’m sorry, Yeol! I was only teasing,” he screeched again as Chanyeol made after him, “ah! Yeol, stop! No!”

Within two big strides, Chanyeol had already reached Baekhyun’s spot by the sofa and pushed him down into the soft cushions. Baekhyun laughed hysterically while Chanyeol climbed on top of him. 

“You’ll pay for that,” Chanyeol threatened. 

Then he started to tickle him. Baekhyun hated being tickled, especially when he couldn’t escape so he screeched, thrashed around, and kicked his legs about. None of this bothered Chanyeol who was strong enough to pin him down. 

“Yeol- ah! Stop! Ah! You’re tickling me! I’ll push you off if you don’t- Chanyeol!” he smacked his boyfriend’s arms, running out of breath and the energy to fight with him for much longer. 

“Fine, fine. But you owe me something in return.”

Baekhyun wondered what that something could be and watched in curiosity as Chanyeol reached into the pocket of his oversized hoodie and pulled out a single branch of mistletoe. He lifted his arm in the air and dangled the mistletoe over their heads. 

“Oh, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun reached his hands up to place one on each of Chanyeol’s cheeks, drawing his lips towards Baekhyun’s own, “you are a hopeless romantic.”

As soon as they kissed, effortlessly as a couple who had been together for as long as they had would, all thoughts of tinsel completely forgotten.

“Hey Baek?” Chanyeol sounded uncharacteristically nervous, especially given his usual boisterous self, which set Baekhyun on high alert, “I have something to show you.”

Awkwardly, Chanyeol untangled his long and wiry limbs from around Baekhyun’s own and took one massive stride (he was so clumsy it was near comical) over to the chest of drawers where he had stored a gaudily festive envelope. He thrust it in Baekhyun’s face with a constipated expression. 

“Wow. Merry Christmas to me, I guess,” Baekhyun mocked his boyfriend’s weird behaviour, “you always did know how to make an occasion of something.”

Chanyeol bounced up and down on the soles of his feet, clearly agitated, “no, it’s not...quickly open it!”

Slightly unnerved, Baekhyun tore into the already unsealed envelope and scanned over the writing, very fancy writing at that, carefully scribed in ink pen with all the trimmings. 

_Dear Chanyeol Park,_

_You are cordially invited to our Winter Wonderland Wedding_

_December 24th_

_The ceremony is taking place at St John’s Church @ 2pm_

_The reception will take place at the Country Club Hotel from 6pm_

_We hope to see you on our special day_

_Miyoung and John_

“I know weddings are a bit shit, Yeol but don’t you think you’re overreacting,” Baekhyun was specifically referring to the way in which Chanyeol was wringing his hands and biting his bottom lip, turning it a garish red colour, “if you’re that worried, don’t go. It’s a bit fucking rude doing it on Christmas Eve, anyway! Who the hell do these people think they are?”

Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrowed in slight judgment, “my cousin, Miyoung? She’s actually really nice. Remember when dad wasn’t well that one summer? She was the one who helped with th-”

“Okay, okay! I get it. Saint Miyoung,” Baekhyun didn’t honestly think that changed much; it was still rude to get married on such an important day of the year, regardless, “but you still don’t have to go.” 

That was apparently a very unhelpful thing to do if Chanyeol’s overly dramatic groan was anything to go by. With a sulk and a pout, he flung all 6ft of himself onto the sofa and dropped his head into Baekhyun’s lap. Despite insisting that Chanyeol was far too large to treat the much shorter Baekhyun like a human-sized cushion, Baekhyun didn’t have the energy to argue, instead running his fingers through Chanyeol's tangled hair. No matter how often he suggested that his boyfriend run a comb through his unruly black curls, his words fell on deaf ears. He did secretly like having an excuse to comb Chanyeol’s hair, though, so he kept his mouth shut. 

“My mom says I have to go,” Chanyeol sighed, burying his face into Baekhyun’s lap, curling into him for comfort as he often did when he felt stressed or out of sorts, “and she insists that I stay at home through to the New Year…”

Baekhyun’s hand froze. 

Ever since he and Chanyeol had got together 5 years ago, they had spent every single Christmas together. Even when they went to Christmas parties hosted by friends, they went together. Over the years, they had developed traditions like gifting each other something small every day in the lead up to Christmas, or cake in bed on boxing day, a movie marathon on Christmas Eve and the thought of missing out on that was gut-wrenching. 

Worst of all, there were no plans to hang around with their friends that year. They had officially declared this the “Christmas of Baek and Chanyeol” but unlike Chanyeol, Baekhyun didn’t have anywhere else to go. It was too late to crash someone else’s dinner so that would leave Baekhyun alone. At Christmas. 

Before he even knew what was happening, Baekhyun was crying. Only a light sniffle at first but it wasn’t long before a bit of extra moisture in his eyes morphed into full, hot teardrops and his lip started to tremble. It wasn’t until he accidentally let a blub slip that Chanyeol very forcefully shot up in his seat and frantically wiped at Baekhyun's tears. 

"Oh God, Baek. I'm such an arsehole. I didn't even think...I'll tell my mom there's no way I'm going! I'm not abandoning you at Christmas."

The relief Baekhyun felt was brief because despite how well-meaning his boyfriend was, Baekhyun knew enough about Chanyeol’s mom to be certain that she didn’t make exceptions when it came to family; Chanyeol was going to that wedding if it was the last thing he did. 

“It’s okay, Yeol,” Baekhyun forced himself to look indifferent but the redness of his eyes gave him away too easily, “I’ll find somewhere to go, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Something else that was far easier said than done. If there was one thing that Baekhyun loved about his boyfriend, it was how much of a softie he was; if Baekhyun was sad, Chanyeol was sad, if Baekhyun wasn’t invited to the party, Chanyeol wasn’t going. Baekhyun knew it would kill Chanyeol to leave Baekhyun alone, just as much as it would Baekhyun. So telling his boyfriend not to worry was entirely futile. 

Another thing that Baekhyun loved about Chanyeol was his willingness to do whatever it took to ensure Baekhyun’s happiness and this was no exception. As though a light switch had been flicked, Chanyeol’s eyes lit up and he ran over to grab his telephone dialling a number and waiting for the dial tone. 

“I have an idea,” Chanyeol whispered, “don’t you worry.”

Five days later, thanks to Chanyeol’s master plan, they were both well on their way to Chanyeol’s parents’ house, their car packed to the roof with their belongings in preparation for their long stay with Chanyeol’s family. 

The journey was a long one given that Chanyeol had grown up well outside of the city in the middle of the countryside which accounted for his love for anything outdoorsy; he adored camping and taking Baekhyun on long, romantic walks in the woods near their home, the only green space for miles. Baekhyun was looking forward to the break from the noise and chaos of the city but he was not particularly enjoying the long drive to get there. Fields stretched for miles and miles along the length of the motorway. 

“You sure you don’t want to stop off and switch seats?” Baekhyun asked, trying to hide the hope in his voice. He never got as bored while driving but Chanyeol loved being at the wheel, like a young boy with his favourite toys, Chanyeol’s second favourite thing in the world was his car. After Baekhyun, of course. 

“I’m sure.” 

For reasons unbeknownst to Baekhyun, Chanyeol wasn’t feeling very talkative which, though unusual for a man who had not stopped talking since the day he was born, his quiet was understandable considering how early they had woken up and how tiring driving can be. 

Unbothered, Baekhyun opened the glove compartment and flicked through Chanyeol’s case of CDs in search of something high spirited to amp up their energy before meeting Chanyeol’s family. Much to Baekhyun’s surprise, he wasn’t even remotely nervous to meet his “in-laws”. Over the years, he had heard delightful tales of a loving family who cherished their children and raised them with warmth, something Baekhyun had always yearned for, and the mere opportunity to be introduced into that kind of family caused Baekhyun’s heart to soar. Not a single nerve was on edge. Baekhyun just wanted to get there and meet the people who made the man he loved into the wonderful person he was. 

Any trepidation stemmed from Baekhyun’s own insecurities about himself. Given that he had never experienced a proper family Christmas before, he wasn’t sure what to expect. What if he ruined everything in his ignorance? What should he wear, what kind of gifts should he give to people? Worst of all, he dreaded the thought that Chanyeol’s mother may hate him. Mother’s could be very protective over their sons, their choice of romantic partner was never an exception and Chanyeol was definitely a mama's boy.

Suddenly caught up in a bout of neurosis, Baekhyun fumbled with a shitty Christmas CD he had found in the case, struggling so much to fit it into the player that Chanyeol eventually took over. 

Baekhyun cleared his throat to shift the tension, “hey, Yeol? What does your mom like to drink? Wine? Well...I mean like red, white...Whiskey, maybe?”

Taking his eyes off the road for a split second, Chanyeol turned to Baekhyun looking completely perplexed, “why? Does it matter?”

A little put out by Chanyeol’s snappy attitude, Baekhyun paused to allow the sounds of crappy music - some awful cover of jingle bells which was making Baekhyun’s head spin - to fill the car. Something was off with Chanyeol and Baekhyun was becoming increasingly annoyed by him. Never one to ruin Christmas, however, Baekhyun kept his mouth closed. 

“Okay, grumpy. I was only wondering. I thought maybe I should bring a gift,” he shrugged his boyfriend’s attitude off and allowed his tone to turn more care-free. He wasn’t about to let Chanyeol’s mood ruin his excitement, “I am a guest and all.”

“Hmm.”

Whatever, Baekhyun thought. Reaching over the console, he pressed the skip button and sped through the songs in the hopes that he’d come across something not awful. As someone who hadn’t really grown up with festive tunes, he didn’t have many favourites and found most of the classics to be a mix between pure cheese and God awful. 

“How long is this CD?! I swear it’s going for-”

“Can you not lean over the gear stick, please?” Chanyeol grumbled, “I’m actually trying to drive.”

“You’re driving on the motorway. What do you need the gear stick fo-”

“Please move.”

“Fine. Who shat in your porridge this morning?”  
  


Chanyeol shot him a look, a withering glare at that. Baekhyun wasn’t having any of his pettiness and decided to sneakily bob his tongue out at him, panicking when Chanyeol turned to look out of the passenger window to change lanes. 

Like a gift from heaven, Mariah Carey came on the radio and the classic first notes of All I want for Christmas cutting through the tension. 

“Oooo! I love this one!” Baekhyun cranked the volume up and sang along at the top of his lungs. He could do Christmas spirit. Of course he could! He was very festive! 

“

“Baek.”

“

“Baekhyun.”

“

“Baekhyun! Shush,” Chanyeol bellowed, stunning Baekhyun into silence. “Erm...shit. Should we go into the service station? I think we could use a break...from the...the car...”

“Yes, please,” Baekhyun replied with as much venom as he could muster, “maybe if we’re in public, I won’t kick you in the balls, you miserable bastard.”

As soon as they pulled into the services and climbed out of the car, they separated and walked off in opposite directions. 

Yes, Baekhyun thought, they had been trapped in a very confined space together for hours so maybe a breather from one another would do them good. 

With a spring in his step, Baekhyun made his way through the crowds of people, all of whom were heading home for Christmas which created an excited buzz in the air. Even the dingey service station looked colourful given the massive Christmas tree in the centre of the building and the staff dressed as elves. Very grumpy elves but they were working, he supposed. 

Deciding he was quite hungry, Baekhyun got in line for the coffee shop. He hadn’t seen Chanyeol since they had got there so he had to guess what he would like to eat and drink. Not like it was hard, his boyfriend didn’t get to the height and size he was because he turned down food. As long as there was some type of protein, Chanyeol would be happy. 

“Merry Christmas! What can I get you?” A young Miss Clause greeted him with a smile, despite being bombarded with customers and complicated orders. Christmas has that effect on people. 

“Ooo! Erm…” Baekhyun couldn’t decide. The Christmas menu looked delectable and he could honestly devour all of it, “can I have a Christmas dinner sandwich, a pigs in blankets wrap with cranberry sauce, two mince pies, two lattes and a bag of brownie pieces…” he scoured over the menu once more and added a shy, “make that two pigs in blankets, please.”

The girl chuckled and tapped his order in. “Hungry?”

Baekhyun laughed along and shook his head, “I’m buying for my boyfriend, too. He likes his food…”

“Aww! Are you going home for Christmas together?”

Baekhyun nodded, feeling a little proud to be able to say that yes, he was going home with his boyfriend for Christmas. The thought in isolation like that set his heart aglow.

“Aww! That’s so lovely,” and she sounded like she really meant it, her smile as bright as the lights flashing on her ugly Christmas jumper, “I’ve never met my girlfriend’s parents...she’s not,” she leaned forward to whisper, “she’s not actually out yet. But yay for you! That’s so nice!”

A blush spread right across Baekhyun’s face. She was right, it was nice and he felt very lucky all of a sudden. He was lucky that his boyfriend was taking him home but the thought hadn’t previously occurred to him.

“Thank you. I’m actually really excited,” he confessed, “silly really but...don’t worry about your girlfriend,” he offered up, sincerely hoping that the kind girl would get her wish one day, “she’ll get there...speaking of significant others...I’ve lost mine so I best go and find him.”

The girl passed the large paper bag of food over the counter, the smell of Christmas spices and bacon sending Baekhyun into a drooly spin, and tilted her chin over Baekhyun’s shoulder, “he wouldn’t happen to be the man over there who hasn’t stopped staring at you this whole time would he?”

Baekhyun sheepishly laughed and nodded goodbye to the girl before heading over to the man in question who was sulking so hard that he looked like a giant baby. 

“Bought you some breakfast, grumpy. Hold the bag while I go to the paper shop,” he handed the bag to Chanyeol and made his way over to the shop in question, not looking to see if Chanyeol was following him. He wouldn’t go very far. Like an actual baby wouldn’t.

Having decided in the car that he needed to buy Chanyeol’s mother something nice in order to get into her good books, Baekhyun was on a mission to choose something half decent. The options weren’t very forgiving in a motorway stop but he had no other choice. 

Despite his boyfriend’s deafening silence, Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol breathing down his neck so enlisted his expertise. 

“Do you think your mom would prefer this,” he lifted a box of luxury chocolates (moms love chocolate) or this fancy box of cheese and crackers? She can share this with your dad then...oh! Do I need to get something for your sister, too?”

“Any are fine they won’t mind,” Chanyeol replied unhelpfully, not even sounding like he was listening.

“Fat lot of help you are. I’ll get these posh biscuits then everyone can share.”

He moved over to the alcohol aisle with Chanyeol close behind him. 

“Baekhyun? I need to tell you something…”  
  


Finally. Mr Man of Mystery and bad energy was willing to talk. 

“Shoot.” 

Offering his full attention, Baekhyun tilted his head to look at his boyfriend. Was he sweating? His upper lip looked a bit damp. Oh God, if he was sick...that was all they needed! Would Baekhyun be able to buy some medicine in the services? He would have to drive then so he’d probably need a stronger coffee. 

“-my mom about you.”

“Hmm? Sorry, Yeol I didn’t catch that.” Baekhyun had been too busy fretting to actually listen.

Chanyeol took a deep breath and tried again, refusing to make eye contact with Baekhyun. “I...I haven’t told my mom about you…”

Idiot. Baekhyun grabbed a magazine off a nearby shelf and thwacked Chanyeol lightly on the arm with it. 

“You clown! What if she doesn’t have space for me?! I can’t just turn up out of nowhere! Do you know how rude that is! It might be fine for you - you are her son - but not for me. Oh my God, Chanyeol you are such a pain in my a-”

“No…” Chanyeol sounded choked up and Baekhyun was starting to panic slightly, “she knows you’re coming but she doesn’t know…” Chanyeol went as pale as a corpse, white as a snowman if you will, and swayed on his feet a little, “she...she doesn’t know I’m gay, Baekhyun.”

The sound of the box of biscuits crashing to the ground was loud but Baekhyun was too stunned to flinch. He hoped Chanyeol’s mother liked crushed shortbread.

Baekhyun hadn’t said a word to Chanyeol since they had got back in the car. He had thrown the Christmas sandwich into his lap and then proceeded to pretend he wasn’t there. Like a man who had never been fed, Baekhyun inhaled the first sausage sandwich before immediately moving onto the next one. It was when he decided to drown his feelings in brownie bits that Chanyeol decided to intervene.

“Baek, can we please talk about this?”

Speaking with a mouth full of brownie, still refusing to look at his boyfriend, Baekhyun shot back. “Oh! So, now you know how to talk? What happened to talking to me about this before we were nearly at your family home? What about talking to your mother about how you regularly fuck a man? Were you not able to talk then?”  
  


“That’s not fair!” 

“Don’t talk to me about “fair”, Park Chanyeol!” Baekhyun practically growled, “because if anything isn’t fair, it’s shoving your boyfriend back in a closet.”

“I am not!”  
  


“Bullshit, Chanyeol! Now, look at me,” Baekhyun gestured to all of the empty wrappers on the floor of the car, “you’ve given me indigestion. You made me stress eat so you better buy me some heartburn tablets.”

There wasn’t very much Chanyeol could say to that so he didn’t say anything at all. If Baekhyun thought the tension was thick before, that was nothing compared to this. 

Baekhyun wasn’t even sure that he was angry at Chanyeol. Maybe if Baekhyun had ever come out to his own parents, he would be able to take a moral high ground but he hadn’t. More than anything he was terrified, smothered by panic and uncertainty at the mere thought of having to lie to Chanyeol’s parents. Who would he pretend to be? People don't bring their friends home at Christmas time.

"What did you tell them, Chanyeol?" Baekhyun tried so hard to sound calm that his tone was almost unnerving. “You didn’t tell them you have a girlfriend…”

“No!” Chanyeol insisted, “I didn’t tell them that. I said...I asked them if I could bring a plus one? I didn’t specify anything…”

Great. The first thing that Chanyeol’s family would assume was that he was bringing a girl home, why would they assume anything else? His parents would probably think their son was being endearingly coy but they would never think he was bringing a man home. His partner at that.

“Fucking hell, Chanyeol…”

“I know,” Chanyeol admitted, sounding as though he might cry, “look, Baek...I feel like absolute shit. I’m a terrible boyfriend, I know that-”

  
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, actually but-”

“No. I am. But I will fix this. When everyone is settled in, before the wedding, I will tell my mom. I don’t want you to think I’m ashamed of you or that I don’t think my family will like you. I just...well I’m chicken shit.”

Baekhyun scoffed. “You aren’t chicken shit, Yeol,” he reached over the console and grabbed the hand that Chanyeol was clutching onto his jeans with, “you should have told me because this is going to make things really awkward for me but I think you know that. I’m still here for you, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun reassured him, “you don’t have to do this alone. You didn’t have to in the first place. No more secrets, okay?”

Chanyeol nodded, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand. “No more secrets. And while we’re telling all,” he glanced at the empty wrappers on the floor, “I really wanted to try one of those pigs in blankets wraps…

Along with the laugh that tumbled from mouth came all of the tension he had been holding in his body, as well as an ungraceful burp. Two wraps were probably too many.

The nerves hit Baekhyun full force as soon as Chanyeol turned into a residential street. He had no idea how far away they actually were from Chanyeol’s childhood home but he craved the safety net of the motorway more and more with every turn they took. 

His situation worsened tenfold when the car started to travel down long, winding country roads. 

“Shit, I’m going to throw up.” Baekhyun shoved his head between his knees but that definitely made the situation worse so he immediately sat back up. Bad idea, “uuuuh, Chanyeol. I’m going to puke.”

“Can you hold it for 30 seconds?” Chanyeol asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

A look out of the window gave Baekhyun the explanation that he needed. No longer were they on a long winding road and they had instead pulled onto a small courtyard, already filled with only two cars parked up. 

Baekhyun didn’t know what he expected Chanyeol’s house to look like but it wasn’t this. He knew Chanyeol didn’t come from wealth so he didn’t expect a stately home or a country house, nor did he expect a cottage that was pulled right out of a fairy tale. 

Dressed with golden lights zig-zagging across a thatched roof and a green wreath hanging from a red oak door, the cottage looked as though it was something from a dream. The magic of Christmas that Baekhyun had felt as a young boy rushed back to him within seconds and for a brief moment, he forgot why he was even stressed out. 

Chanyeol must have sensed his awe and marvelled at the beauty along with Baekhyun.

“Mom always dreamt of living in a cottage as a little girl,” Chanyeol explained with pride, “there weren’t many to come by in Seoul but here, they’re relatively easy pickings. This place is her pride and joy.”

“I can see why. It’s beautiful.”

Chanyeol reached across to Baekhyun and placed a hand on his thigh before saying with sparkling eyes, “just wait til you see the tree!” 

Right. They had to actually go inside the house. The house where Chanyeol’s parents lived and where his sister would be waiting for them. The same parents and sister who had no idea who Baekhyun was. 

“Shit.”

The nausea Baekhyun felt as he waited on the doorstep was a bit different, entirely located in his stomach and more so resembling an entire hive of bees zipping around in his organs than actual sickness. 

“Shit, Chanyeol,” he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten, “I didn’t buy any wine! Wow. Great. Now they’ll all think I’m a dick. That’s your fault, you know?”  
  


At least Chanyeol had the decency to look a little guilty but not nearly enough as far as Baekhyun was concerned.

“They really won’t care, Baek.”

“Well, I care! Can we get back in the car and go to a shop? I promise I’ll be qui-”

He was cut off mid-sentence by the sound of the front door unlocking and swinging open with a creak. A wave of warmth hit Baekhyun from inside along with the aroma of freshly baked bread. Then a small woman who was the absolute spit of his boyfriend emerged in the doorway.

“Chanyeol! My handsome boy,” she greeted with outstretched arms, dragging her much bigger son into a bone-crushing hug, practically knocking the wind out of him, “you look thin. Have you been eating? Oh my! My baby is starving.”  
  


“Omma, I’m fine. If anything, I’m bigger than before! I’ve been going to the gym...I can’t believe you can’t tell…” he trailed off towards the end into a disappointed mumble.

Baekhyun was very amused, so much so that a snort escaped his nose, a snort which alerted Chanyeol’s mother to his presence. 

She gave her son a full body shove so that she could get a clear look at Baekhyun. Despite her efforts to hide her reaction, it was obvious by the rapid blinking of her eyes and curious tilt of her head that Baekhyun was not what she expected to see. But ever polite, she quickly recovered and offered Baekhyun a beautiful smile, a carbon copy of Chanyeol’s own toothy grin. 

“And who is this handsome young fellow?”

With a shy chuckle, Baekhyun stepped forward with an outstretched hand, taking Chanyeol’s mother’s in a welcome handshake, “my name is Baekhyun. I’m Chanyeol’s...plus one…”

She glanced over to Chanyeol quickly in curiosity but looked away as soon as she realised that Chanyeol was focusing his attention on his feet. 

“Oh! Well, I’m not going to pretend I’m not surprised. Chanyeol didn’t tell me he was bringing a friend along,” she glared at him then, implying that a scolding was on the way and her son flinched slightly, “I’ve only made one bed! But don’t worry,” her smile suggested that she was definitely going to worry, “we have plenty of camp beds. Chanyeol won’t mind sleeping on the floor. Will you Chanyeol?”

“I...no. That’s fine…”

Chanyeol’s pout, as well as the general aura of a young boy being told off by his mother, amused Baekhyun very much. Baekhyun was very satisfied to see his boyfriend already receiving his karma for causing so much trouble. 

The outside of the house was nothing compared to the interior. Baekhyun could see exactly where Chanyeol got his love for extravagance at Christmas as every inch of the house, from the carpets to the bannisters, there was a hint of festivity in every corner. They hadn't even entered the living room yet. Baekhyun couldn't wait to see the tree.

"Baekhyun," Chanyeol's mother announced with a clap of her hand, "you can head through to the front room with the others and I'll take Chanyeol upstairs to sort his bed out. Okay?" 

For a moment, it looked as though Chanyeol was going to protest but he saw his mother’s stern gaze and thought better of it. He shrugged his shoulders apologetically and nodded to his mother. 

“I’ll be okay,” Baekhyun reassured, even if it was with an uneasy smile, he pointed in the direction of a closed door which was framed with more lights and asked, “Is this the front room?”  
  


“Yes, dear! Everyone is in there,” she paused for thought and then carried on, “er...you won’t be what they’re expecting but just tell them you’re Chanyeol’s friend and that we’re having to sort out a spare bed.”

The last thing Baekhyun wanted to do was enter that room on his own but he supposed he had no choice; if Chanyeol wouldn’t argue with his mother then Baekhyun really wasn’t going to. 

Low volume Christmas music filtered through as he opened the door a crack, once again a song he didn’t know, and he inched into the room slowly.

“Jae, don’t mess with the presents under the tree,” a woman scolded from inside, “it isn’t Christmas day yet.”

The woman was Chanyeol’s sister, Yoora, who was speaking to her one-year-old son, Jae. Baekhyun had seen plenty of photographs of Yoora so he always knew she was a beautiful woman with doe eyes like Chanyeol’s and perfectly-styled hair but she was even more dazzling in person. Baekhyun had always wondered why they had never been introduced but he supposed the answer was pretty obvious now. 

“Er...hello,” Baekhyun greeted with an awkward wave, Chanyeol’s dad sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room, Yoora seated on an adjacent sofa, “I’m Chanyeol’s friend.”

The pair looked up and stared at Baekhyun in perplexed silence, the only sound being Jae tearing into a parcel he shouldn’t have been touching. Baekhyun awkwardly cleared his throat which brought the pair back to the room.

“Ha!” Chanyeol’s dad uttered, already losing interest and reaching for the television guide, “I knew he didn’t have a girlfriend!”  
  


Yoora covered her massive smile with her hand but she could do nothing to hide her giggle. 

“Aww! It seems there has been a bit of a miscommunication,” she teased, “Omma will be having a field day!” She must have sensed Baekhyun’s tension at her words and so she stood up and offered a hand to shake, “don’t worry about it. It’s nice to meet you, Baekhyun. I’m Yoora. This is my son, Jae.”

“Ah yeah. Chanyeol has told me a lot about you,” he immediately regretted saying that; friends don’t talk about those kinds of things. Or do they? 

Seemingly, no if Yoora’s surprise was anything to go by. “Oh! Well, my baby brother will talk to anyone about anything if they will listen.”

She was right about that. Chanyeol was a blabbermouth, so much so that it was a wonder he hadn’t already told everyone who Baekhyun was. 

“Anyway,” Yoora moved the conversation on, much to Baekhyun’s relief, “I’ll get you a drink and we’ll wait for Chanyeol and Omma to come down. Mom will tell you the plan for the day then.”

What plan? Baekhyun had fully intended to spend the entire day doing nothing at all. The drive had been long, he had been through a minor trauma, and all of the food he had guzzled had left him tired and sluggish. 

When it came to light precisely what they were all doing for the day, Baekhyun was thoroughly horrified, to put it mildly. No amount of silent pleading with his boyfriend would save him, either, because mom’s word was final apparently.

Suit shopping. They were going shopping. Three days before Christmas and they were being dragged to a shopping mall to buy suits for the wedding. According to Chanyeol’s mother, they were going to be wearing matching outfits and the suits that Baekhyun and Chanyeol had brought with them wouldn’t be suitable. She hadn’t even seen the suits.

“We need to look nice in the photos. This is Miyoung’s big day, we have to make an effort. We can’t look sloppy,” this statement was aimed at Chanyeol who moved his arms to cover the faded image on his t-shirt, “and it will be a nice bonding activity. Of course, I was planning on buying you a dress…”

Baekhyun wasn’t sure whether he should apologise. As polite and accommodating as he could be, he wasn’t about to offer to wear a dress so he instead offered a meek smile (then when Chanyeol’s mother wasn’t looking, he offered his boyfriend dagger eyes). 

Shopping was a relatively painless affair but Baekhyun was entirely bored out of his mind. While it had taken him and Chanyeol around 20 minutes to choose matching suits, try them on and pay for them, it had taken well over an hour for Yoora and Chanyeol’s mom to try on dresses and they were far from being done. They still needed shoes, accessories, bags. Baekhyun was on the brink of tears. 

“So, mom says I’m sharing a room with Jae,” Chanyeol said, leaning casually up against a rack of jumpers while they waited outside the dressing room for Yoora to try on some red sequined number, “which isn’t so bad but,” he turned to Baekhyun, discreetly taking his hand and holding it in the pocket of Baekhyun’s coat, “I wish I could sleep with you instead.”

The worst part of the shopping trip was having to keep his distance from Chanyeol. When they were so naturally attached at the hip, Chanyeol with his clinginess and Baekhyun’s love for stolen kisses, it was so difficult to remain discreet. 

“I will tell them,” Chanyeol promised again, “I’m just waiting for the right time.”

Having heard him say this 100 times already that day, Baekhyun only smiled, squeezing the hand in his pocket. 

“Why don’t we break off from the others,” Chanyeol suggested, “we could go to the food court? Get a coffee. Or a cake?”  
  


“No more cake,” Baekhyun insisted as though Chanyeol had suggested they lick the bottom of their shoes, “but coffee I can do.”

After telling the others where they were going, the pair headed off into the mall. The entire building was heaving with people, all buying last minute gifts. A massive tree stood in the middle of the centre, complete with a Father Christmas and his elves (much more cheerful than the elves in the motorway services). 

“I never saw Santa as a kid,” Baekhyun admitted, looking around swiftly before grabbing onto Chanyeol’s hand.

“What!? That’s the saddest thing I have ever heard,” Chanyeol was outraged, “seeing Santa is the best part of Christmas! Asking him for gifts, telling him your wildest wishes. It’s magical.”

Chanyeol’s eyes were far away as he transported himself into his childhood memories. Despite technically missing out on the magic of Santa, Baekhyun never felt any sense of loss. His Christmas was special to him. Besides, no Christmas was more special than the ones he had spent with Chanyeol. 

“Who needs Santa when I’ve got you?” 

Baekhyun leaned up to meet Chanyeol’s lips with his own, straining on his tiptoes and grabbing onto the lapels of Chanyeol’s coat to steady himself. Now that they were out of Chanyeol’s family’s sight, they had no concerns about kissing in public. No one here knew them, anyway. 

“You’re a flirt,” Chanyeol punctuated his words with a kiss, “I like it.”

Baekhyun wiggled his eyebrows before dropping down onto his feet again. 

“Oo!” Baekhyun suddenly had a revelation and grabbed onto his boyfriend’s hand once more, pulling him through the swathes of people, “I have an idea.”  
  


While Baekhyun had no particular hang ups about missed Christmas experiences, there was one thing he had always wanted to try. Well, for his adult life. 

“Mulled wine?” Chanyeol asked as they joined the back of the queue in front of the make-shift drinks counter by the food court.

“Mmhmm! I’ve never had it before and I want to try it.”

As soon as Baekhyun took the small mug of hot, spiced wine into his hands, he started to regret his decision. The smell of the festive drink was really overwhelming and he already suspected it would be too much of something: too bitter, too tart, too sweet, he wasn’t sure.

“You try it first,” he ordered, shoving the mug into Chanyeol’s hand, “I don’t trust it.”

This highly amused Chanyeol who happily took the drink and took a giant gulp. Baekhyun couldn’t read his expression well enough to determine what his boyfriend thought of the drink.

“Well?”

“Mmm,” Chanyeol passed the cup back to Baekhyun, “it’s nice. You’ll like it.”  
  


Trusting Chanyeol wholeheartedly, Baekhyun took a long sip and swished the wine around in his mouth. Around 2 seconds passed before he spat it straight back out. 

“Ergh! That’s fucking horrid!”

“I know,” Chanyeol admitted, a cheeky grin on his face which practically begged Baekhyun to slap it off.

“You’re a dick, you know that?” He could only maintain his seriousness momentarily before he burst into loud, ugly laughter, far too loud for a public place.

Feeling betrayed, he lightly thudded Chanyeol in the chest. Then he buried his head in the same spot, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, relishing in his warmth and the smell of his cologne. Baekhyun reckoned he could spend hours like this, close to the man he loved, taking in every inch of him, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart and moving in time with Chanyeol’s breathing chest.

Knowing that they wouldn’t be able to share a bed together that night, nor be able to touch each other in any way for days upon days, encouraged Baekhyun to cherish the moment even more, ignoring the remnants of wine on his tongue and replacing the taste with that of Chanyeol. 

Once again, they shared a kiss, framed romantically by the backdrop of an obscenely large Christmas tree and the repetitive tone of the music from Santa’s grotto. Chanyeol’s mouth still tasted like wine but it also tasted like his favourite chapstick, a cherry scented one that he stole from Baekyhun one time. Chanyeol squeezed Baekhyun’s waist tightly and Baekhyun longed for a world where he would never have to let go. But that world didn’t exist and their bubble was soon burst.

“Chanyeol!? Chanyeol, where are you?”

The couple burst apart from one another as though they had electricity running through them and tried to look as though they hadn’t just been kissing, mere seconds away from shoving their tongues down each other’s throats.

Thankfully, Chanyeol’s mother hadn’t seen them and appeared from behind a crowd of people seconds after they had separated, closely followed by Yoora who was now carrying a large shopping bag. 

Baekhyun’s heart was pounding and the room was spinning, Chanyeol undoubtedly fared just as poorly, but he was also dizzy with relief. He was so thankful that they hadn’t been caught that he was going lightheaded. 

Also, he was very relieved that the shopping was finally finished and they could go home. 

Before he knew it, the day was already behind them, dinner had been eaten in peace given that everyone was worn out (mostly Chanyeol’s dad whom Jae had apparently run circles around all day), and it was time for bed.

“So, here it is,” Chanyeol announced as he dropped Baekhyun off in his childhood room, “your room. Well, my room.”

It certainly was Chanyeol’s room. It screamed Chanyeol; the wallpaper was decorated with tiny guitars, a dusty keyboard rested up against the wardrobe, and his books were all piled up on the floor instead of on the completely empty bookshelf. The only thing that didn’t have any element of Chanyeol at all was the poster wall.

“Nicole Kidman?” Baekhyun questioned, taking a closer look at the image of the gorgeous woman, admiring her stockings and suspenders and her cascading red hair as she lay on a four-poster bed, “didn’t know she was your type.”

“She’s a very attractive woman…”

“Sure she is!” Baekyhun was gay but he wasn’t blind, “I just don’t know how many straight boys have watched Moulin Rouge is all. But sure. You’ve had everyone in this house fooled. Couldn’t fool me.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. Without warning, he crept up on Baekhyun and grabbed onto him, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun’s own and placing sloppy, open-mouthed kisses all over Baekhyun’s neck. 

“Ahh! Chanyeol, stop,” he squealed, trying to stifle his laughter, “what if someone comes in?”

His boyfriend still offered one last kiss on his ear, directly over a small mole on the shell, before stepping away. 

“Fine, fine. But you know it’s going to kill me to not be able to hold you tonight?” His pout was adorable and Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself from kissing it.

“I know. It’ll be really shit. Not only will I miss you, I’ll be freezing! You’re like an oven…”

Burying his head in Chanyeol’s chest once again, Baekhyun sighed. They would be able to manage a few days, for sure. Soon they would be back in their own home, in their own bed, and the balance would be restored. Until then, however, Baekhyun would sulk as much as he wanted to.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Chanyeol stepped back from the hug and pulled a small item wrapped in napkins from the cafe out of his jeans pocket, “I got this from the services. For you to remember me by.”

With one last kiss, Chanyeol and Baekhyun said their goodnights and Baekhyun was left completely on his own in his boyfriend’s childhood bedroom without his actual boyfriend.

As soon as Baekhyun had got into his pyjamas and settled in Chanyeol’s bed, he took the small parcel into his hands and unwrapped it to reveal a small locket. It was only a cheap, plastic thing in the shape of a snowflake but he still opened it up. 

Chanyeol had childishly scribbled their names on the paper slotted inside, one side for himself and one side for Baekhyun. Then, so small Baekhyun could hardly see, he had drawn two tiny stick men holding hands. 

The gift was silly and childish but it still made Baekhyun immeasurably happy. His boyfriend, for all of his clumsiness, was incredibly thoughtful. Even when he was stressed out of his mind, he still thought of Baekhyun and ways to make him happy. 

Baekhyun fell asleep clutching the plastic jewellery in his fist.

After the exhausting day he had, Baekhyun was out like a light, not even waking up in the middle of the night to turn over, not even having a single dream. When he eventually woke up, it was to a groggy head, a dry mouth and bleary eyes. As well as a light tickling sensation on his exposed shoulder.

“Hmm,” he hummed in satisfaction, basking in the warmth, slowly becoming aware of the arms wrapped around his middle and the legs tangled in between his own, “Chanyeol?”

Using all of his reserves of energy, Baekhyun turned over and lo and behold, there was Chanyeol, lying awake in just his boxer shorts, smiling at Baekhyun like he had the entire universe in his eyes, as though Baekhyun was his entire universe. Baekhyun would never tire of waking up to Chanyeol like this.

“Hi,” Chanyeol whispered, slowly closing the distance between them and offering Baekhyun a languid, open-mouthed kiss, drawing him in even closer until their chests were flush against one another and it became unclear whose leg was whose as they knotted under the covers, “sorry if I woke you.”

After prolonging their morning kiss a little more, Baekhyun pulled away with a shake of his head, “it’s okay. I wouldn’t have woken up on my own for hours yet. But...what are you doing here? What if we get caught?”

Baekhyun asked that question as though he had any intention of letting Chanyeol leave. There was not a chance his boyfriend was getting out of that bed. In the time it took Baekhyun to fall asleep, not only was he freezing cold without Chanyeol’s warm-blooded self to keep him toasty, he couldn’t get comfortable. Over the years, he had become fully accustomed to falling asleep on top of Chanyeol, using his arms, his chest, or his stomach as a pillow, any actual pillow always being too soft as a result. So he wasn’t going to complain about the surprise company. 

Chanyeol leaned in once more, rolling over onto his back and dragging Baekhyun on top of him so that he could straddle Chanyeol’s waist. Baekhyun leaned down, placing his hands on Chanyeol’s pecs for support, and kissed him. This time, they kissed with more fervour, Chanyeol’s tongue softly drawing an outline of Baekhyun’s lips. He had always had a fixation with Baekhyun’s lips, saying that he loved their shape and thickness and softness. Baekhyun simply liked the way Chanyeol made his lips tingle, every single nerve on edge sending him spiralling. 

Having opted to wear shorts to bed that night, Baekhyun’s bare thighs were fully exposed as they tightened around Chanyeol’s hips. Another thing Chanyeol loved was Baekhyun’s thighs. Unlike the rest of his small frame, his thighs were deceptively strong, large and perfect for kneading. Which is what Chanyeol did with his hands, his veiny tattooed hands which Baekhyun adored. 

The feeling of Chanyeol forcefully rubbing the sensitive area on the inside of Baekhyun’s legs forced a moan out of Baekhyun, a moan that couldn’t have been mistaken for anything else. 

“Shh,” Chanyeol breathed into Baekhyun’s mouth. An unnecessary gesture, of course. Baekhyun knew he had to be quiet.

“Sorry. I can’t help it,” Baekhyun admitted, tracing circles over Chanyeol’s heart, “you’re just so sexy.”

Somebody liked that compliment very much and didn’t hesitate before he began to litter Baekhyun’s neck with kisses, tugging on his t-shirt so that he could do the same to Baekhyun’s shoulders and his forearms. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Chanyeol spoke into Baekhyun’s jaw where he had started to lightly suck, not enough to leave a mark but enough to force quiet gasps out of Baekhyun with every touch. “And you’re making me really hard...which is a slight problem...because…”

Baekhyun moved his hand between them so he could feel through Chanyeol’s boxers and, yep, he really was hard. 

“Seems like you’ve got a big problem there,” Baekhyun teased, making direct eye contact with Chanyeol as he lightly stroked his boyfriend’s bulge, “don’t worry, I can fix that for you.”

Bearing down with force, Baekhyun began to push his ass cheeks into Chanyeol’s hard-on, rolling his hips so that he could glide over his boyfriend’s cock, loving the wince on Chanyeol’s face as his movements began to have the desired effect.

“Fuck, Baek,” he choked, his voice going up a full octave, “I can’t. I have to walk across the hall in my - unh - my boxers. What if someone sees?”

With a shake of his head and without stopping his movements, Baekhyun pecked Chanyeol’s lips. “You can borrow some trousers from me. Just let me do this for you, Yeol. Let me make you come.”

The grunt Chanyeol elicited when Baekhyun pressed down particularly hard on his dick was inhuman but it worked on Baekhyun, causing his guts to wrench and his dick to twitch. As Chanyeol inched closer and closer to his climax, his face twisted in an all-encompassing desire for release. Beads of sweat began to drip down the backs of Baekhyun’s legs from both his arousal and from physical exertion. 

“Ah, shit,” Chanyeol grunted, “I’m going to cum. Go harder, please.”

Never one to say no when someone was being so polite, Baekhyun lay parallel to Chanyeol, their foreheads touching and began to move faster and harder, listening to the sounds of Chanyeol’s needy pants. 

“Go on, Yeol,” Baekhyun breathed into his ear, his hot breath driving Chanyeol crazy, “come for me. Let me see you c-”

The door swung open and Baekhyun felt the entire world crash down around him, his boyfriend taking a millisecond longer to cut through his horny haze and realise what had happened. 

“Fuck!” Chanyeol shouted, pushing Baekhyun off of him.

“Oof, shit,” Baekhyun grunted as he fell face-first onto the mattress, dragging his body off of his boyfriend. 

“Oh my fucking God!” 

It was Yoora. She had opened the door and walked straight in to see her own baby brother- Baekhyun couldn’t even bear to complete the thought, feeling sharp panic rise in his throat as his eyes darted between the two siblings. 

Yoora had covered her eyes with her hands and was repeatedly chanting the same thing over and over and over.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh, my G-”

“Yoora, it isn’t what it looks like,” Chanyeol insisted. He had already leapt from the bed and was pacing the room, pulling at his own hair in distress, “I just…”

“No, it’s fine. I’m going,” Yoora tried to turn around with her hands still covered but accidentally collided with the door, “I should have kn-”

“No, no,” Chanyeol waved his arms frantically in front of his body, “no, I was just- I...I wasn’t. We weren’t. I came to wake Baekhyun and…”  
  


What was he going to say? Baekhyun felt sick to his stomach. Was Chanyeol actually going to do it?? Was he about to come out to his sister? Baekhyun was terrified for him, especially given that he had to come out like this. No one wants to be cock blocked by their own sister, let alone when they’re still in the closet. But this was Chanyeol’s chance to finally say the words. To break the glass and fix things. 

“And...and he jumped me,” Chanyeol said, stunning Baekhyun to silence, his words hitting Baekhyun in the chest like a ten-tonne truck, “he climbed on top of me and...I always knew he was gay but I didn’t think he’d…”

As soon as the words fell out of Chanyeol’s mouth, he looked like he regretted them. But not as much Baekhyun regretted having the displeasure of hearing them. 

Using everything he had in him, Baekhyun swallowed down his tears and steeled his face so that neither Chanyeol nor Yoora could see how hurt he was. Deep down, he was crushed but he wasn’t willing to let anyone else be privy to that. So, he stood up, grabbed his clothes from where they rested on a chair and headed out of the room. 

He didn’t have complete self-control, however, so he still felt the need to aggressively shoulder Chanyeol on the way out the door. His boyfriend was like a concrete wall and barely budged under the force of Baekhyun’s smaller frame. Baekhyun felt vindicated, anyway. 

Chanyeol was also on the receiving end of a withering glare from his older sister and as soon as Baekhyun was out in the hall, she slammed the door, and Baekhyun could vaguely hear her angrily hissing at her younger brother. 

With a gutted sigh, Baekhyun made his way down the hall. He couldn’t stomach hearing what she had to say. Least of all what Chanyeol would say in return.

  
  
  


“Shit.”

Baekhyun had taken a walk into the local village to take a breather and find somewhere to sit and have a drink, clear his mind and try to work out what on earth he was supposed to do with himself now. What he didn’t consider, however, was that the signal coverage in the middle of nowhere is never that great so his GPS app on his phone was taking ages to buffer. 

Deciding that the town couldn’t really be anywhere other than forwards, he kept walking, dragging his feet along the road that had no pavement, staring into nothing as it wound ahead of him for what seemed like miles. 

In all honesty, he felt horrific. He felt angry, he felt upset, but mostly he felt heartbroken. He knew why Chanyeol did what he did, he knew why he lied, but with all of his heart, he wished that he hadn’t done it in front of Baekhyun. He wished he had spared him. If he had to lie, Baekhyun wished that he didn’t turn Baekhyun into the villain. 

He was knocked out of his stupor by the blaring sound of a car horn far too close to him.

“Watch where you’re going!” The driver yelled out of the window before speeding off. 

Without realising, Baekhyun had merged onto the main village road and hadn’t noticed that he was walking into the oncoming traffic. He wished he could say that the shock had snapped him out of his daze but it hadn’t. 

Maybe a coffee would help, he decided, spotting a cafe across the street which wasn’t too busy. 

The warmth inside the small room was welcome as he entered, the bell ringing over his head in contrast to the lively Christmas music playing over the speaker. The room smelled like gingerbread and hot chocolate and Baekhyun suddenly realised he hadn’t eaten anything since the day before.

“Good morning love,” the old lady behind the counter worked hard at the coffee machine as she greeted him, the place only had three other people inside but she was the only person working there, “what can I get you?”

“Could I have a gingerbread man, please,” he didn’t care if it was silly or childish, “and a latte. With caramel syrup.”

The lady smiled and told Baekhyun to sit down and wait for her to bring his order over. 

He opted for a window seat, taking the opportunity to look out onto the village, admiring the shops which were decorated with lights and fake snow. These shops weren’t as busy as the mall, of course, but the lines for the butchers and the farm shop stretched up the street as people stocked up on the essentials for Christmas day. 

Christmas day. Baekhyun could barely stomach the idea of having to spend the entire day with Chanyeol’s family. He wasn’t entirely sure he could face Chanyeol without screaming at him which wouldn’t help the situation one bit. All he wanted was for Chanyeol to apologise, to make the situation better and be honest with his family. But Baekhyun really didn’t think his boyfriend had the balls. 

He pulled out his phone to check his messages, thanking the lady for bringing over his drink and biscuit while he did so, and unlocked the screen. The photo of himself and Chanyeol on the home screen made him sadly smile. He should have changed it really. It was a bit of a risk given the circumstances but it hardly mattered anymore.

He didn’t have any messages from Chanyeol. 

“Didn’t know the grinch was in town,” a man said to him, a teasing lilt to his voice, “mind if I sit?”

“Er...sure. Go ahead.”

The man was probably the youngest person Baekhyun had seen in the entire village, perhaps even younger than Baekhyun. He was tall, had the face of a model, and was dressed as though he had stepped out of a designer clothes store. He was handsome, for sure.

“Sehun,” he greeted, not offering to shake Baekhyun’s hand, instead nestling his own drink. Hot chocolate judging by the marshmallows, “you looked like you were going to cry. Trouble in paradise?” He asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink.

“Guess you could say that...Oh...I’m Baekhyun, by the way.”

Sehun nodded. “Care to tell all. I won’t spill. Consider me a neutral party in all of this.”

Baekhyun considered it for a second. He didn’t know this man and wasn’t sure how comfortable he felt divulging all of his personal information to him. Then again, Baekhyun would rant to the flowers in the pots outside the cafe if he thought they would listen. Anything to relieve the pressure on his shoulders. 

“I had a fight with my partner,” he eventually revealed, “a really nasty fight. And I’m not sure if I’m a few miles away from murdering someone.”

The other man raised an eyebrow, a perfectly plucked eyebrow, before leering at Baekhyun. “Is this partner a boy?”

Baekhyun spluttered a little before replying. “W-what? Why do you ask that?”

Sehun rolled his eyes and Baekhyun was starting to wonder if he didn’t like this man very much. He seemed a bit too uppity for Baekhyun’s taste. 

“Straight people don’t have “partners”," he used air quotes which Baekhyun always found annoying, “they have girlfriends. So what did he do?”

“More like what didn’t he do…”

So, Baekhyun explained the course of events from the wedding invite to the car ride to end all car rides. He described the suffocating feeling of being flung back into the most festive closet ever and his desire to do it to keep his boyfriend happy. then - leaving out the gory details - he told Sehun about Yoora walking in on them...cuddling. 

Sehun obviously guessed that they weren't actually cuddling but something else had much more of his attention.

“Wait...are you here for Miyoung’s wedding? Park Miyoung?”

A little surprised, Baekhyun nodded. “Yeah, how did you-”

“She’s my best friend,” Sehun explained, “and there aren’t many churches in this village. Nor do many people get married on Christmas Eve. I swear, she’s such an attention whore. I said to her, ‘you can’t make Christmas all about you’ but the girl is a narcissist,” he shrugged at that, “but so am I.”

Okay. Maybe Sehun was alright really. He made Baekhyun laugh at least. 

“So,” Sehun continued, slightly meek this time, “who’s the boyfriend? I thought I was the only gay in the village so I feel a little bit...demoted…”

For a moment, Baekhyun wondered whether he should refuse to tell Sehun who Chanyeol was but he felt like being selfish. Besides, Chanyeol was out back at home and it wasn’t as though Sehun was going to give him any shit for it. Oh, what the hell.

Baekhyun cleared his throat, “erm, Chanyeol…”

Sehun froze. His face was entirely expressionless as he processed that information. Blatantly, he’d just been given the shock of his life. 

“D...you...h-” he fumbled with his words, the cocky man from before was gone and he was replaced by a bumbling idiot. “Chanyeol Park?”

How many Chanyeol’s were there in this village? One. Sehun’s question answered itself. 

“Fuck me,” Sehun said with so much glee he looked as though his eyes may bulge out his head, “Chanyeol fucking Park is a homosexual. A friend of Dorothy. He bats for the other team. Well, I never! There will be a lot of bereft girls in this village. You are one lucky man.”

Baekhyun knew that. Chanyeol was an idiot but he was Baekhyun’s idiot. 

Sehun studied Baekhyun closely before guzzling his drink in one go and shoving Baekhyun’s gingerbread man into Baekhyun’s coat pocket. 

“You and me,” he pointed between the two of them, “are going for a walk and you can tell me all about that goofy idiot.”

Baekhyun decided Sehun was a good guy, for sure.

When Baekhyun arrived back at the house, he felt much better than when he had left. The sun was setting and the lights were in their full glory so he watched them from the end of the courtyard for a moment.

Only a few more days. He only had to put up with this for a few more days and then he could go home, he and Chanyeol could go back to normal, and all would be forgotten. It wouldn’t be easy but he could do it. If Chanyeol wasn’t going to take the leap, Baekhyun would have to deal with it. 

The house was quiet apart from the murmur of the TV. Jae was probably napping after his dinner and Yoora was probably upstairs with him. Chanyeol’s dad was watching the TV and Baekhyun could hear his mom in the kitchen so he decided to see what she was up to. 

“Good evening, Baekhyun,” she smiled, seemingly oblivious to the drama from the morning, “I heard you popped out for the day. Did you have a nice time? The village is lovely at this time of year.”

“It was very lovely, Mrs Park.”

She pushed his shoulder playfully and laughed at his formality, “please. You can call me Omma,” she offered a knowing smile and Baekhyun wondered if she knew what he knew but he didn’t dwell on it. She most likely genuinely believed that Chanyeol was his good friend.

“Where’s Chanyeol?”

“I think he’s in his room. Mr Stroppy has been playing computer games all day. I tell him all of the time that it will rot his brain but he doesn’t listen to me.”

Baekhyun smiles fondly at the memories of Chanyeol arguing with his mom on the phone, insisting that what she read on Facebook wasn’t true and that video games wouldn’t give him brain damage. 

“I’m baking some cookies if you want to help me,” she offered, brandishing a rolling pin, “we won’t have time to bake them after the wedding.” 

Even though Chanyeol’s mother had no idea who Baekhyun really was, the opportunity to spend time with her and bond with her was something Baekhyun was truly grateful for. After all, when Chanyeol finally admitted the truth, she and Baekhyun would already have a head start. The idea made him smile softly to himself as Chanyeol’s mom started ranting about missing sugar bags and cinnamon. 

The next morning, everyone stood gathered in the front room, dressed up to the nines (even Jae was in a cute little suit and velcro tie), and ready to leave for the church service. They were running a little late because Jae had been sick on his new jeans after raiding a chocolate selection box while his mom was still asleep so he had to get changed. 

As for Chanyeol, he looked awful. The bags under his eyes sagged halfway down his cheeks, his eyes were bloodshot and his hair was an awful mess. Baekhyun was desperate to walk across the room, hug him and reassure him that everything was going to be alright, that he wasn’t angry anymore and that he understood. But he couldn’t. For the entire day, the pair would have no choice but to keep their distance, behave like friends who weren’t secretly the loves of each other's lives. 

Thankfully, Yoora could sense that Chanyeol wasn’t doing great and linked arms with him, whispering in his ear and offering glances and small smiles over to Baekhyun. Even if Baekhyun was powerless, Chanyeol’s big sister wasn’t. She clearly wasn’t angry either and was doting on her baby brother just the same as before.

The church was already bustling with people when they arrived, the excitement in the air palpable. People loved a wedding. The extravagance, the chance to connect with old friends, and the joy of seeing a couple declare their love for one another. Baekhyun couldn’t get into the spirit of things when all he could think about was his boyfriend tearing himself apart next to him on the pew. 

Regardless, the service was still beautiful. Instead of hymns, they sang Christmas carols and the priest recited the Christmas story which briefly transported Baekhyun back to Christmasses with his own family. The bride and bridesmaids had bouquets of shocking red poinsettias, in keeping with the Christmas theme, and the groomsmen had matching flowers in their buttonholes. Baekhyun noticed that one of the groomsmen, in particular, was none other than Sehun. Sehun waved over and both Baekhyun and Chanyeol waved back in time with each other, much to Chanyeol’s confusion. 

"I'll tell you later", Baekhyun mouthed to his boyfriend, quickly realising that these were the first words he had spoken to him in over 24 hours. The notion made his heart stumble in sadness. It wasn’t right and he couldn’t put up with the feeling of Chanyeol being so close to him yet so far away.

While the wedding ceremony itself was rather lovely, the reception was anything but. As soon as they had entered the hotel, Chanyeol was swept off by some old school friends and wasn’t anywhere to be found for hours. At least Baekhyun could have a breather from pretending. 

Not sure where to go or what to do in a room full of strangers, Baekhyun sought out the bar and ordered himself a free glass of champagne. Then another. The third one made him feel sick and the bubbles refused to settle in his stomach so he opted for a glass of orange juice. He sipped the juice as slowly as he could so he didn’t make himself sick, as well as stalling for time so he didn’t have to go back into the main hall. 

He wondered if Chanyeol was having a good time. Pretty quickly he decided that he would be having a time equally as shit as Baekhyun was. Chanyeol didn’t like parties, especially when he wasn’t with Baekhyun. 

Before leaving the house, Baekhyun had taken the plastic locket from Chanyeol out of his suitcase and had worn it under his shirt. It was silly, really, considering it was a kids toy but it was more than that. It posed as a reminder that Chanyeol cared about him so deeply. Even when they were fighting, separated in service stations or at parties or by monumental secrets, Chanyeol was always thinking of Baekhyun and thinking of ways to prove his love to him. 

“Hey, grumpy.”

Sehun approached the bar, holding hands with a young man who was more interested in his glass of red wine than the wedding party. Sehun whispered something to the man who pecked him on the cheek before heading off towards the buffet. 

“That’s my boyfriend,” he explained with an enamoured smile, “Junmyeon hates functions. He likes books and silence. But he likes wine.”

Baekhyun could relate to that and he scoffed, “bet he’s having more fun than me. I’m here on my own trying to get pissed on orange juice and I don’t even know the happy couple.”

Sehun flagged the barman and ordered himself a pint of beer before taking a seat next to Baekhyun and resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“You still not talked to him?”

Baekhyun shook his head. Of course he hadn’t. Chanyeol practically lived in his family’s pockets and there was no privacy in the house at all. They had learned that the hard way. Baekhyun doubted that they would even be able to speak until they were heading home.

“He’s with his friends so I just left him…”

The other man looked confused and shook his head. “No, he isn’t. He’s sitting in the lobby sulking and being hit on by old ladies. In fact, he somehow manages to look more miserable than you do...why don’t you go and talk to him?”

That was a decent point. If Chanyeol was on his own, there was a perfect window of opportunity to sort this out. Even if they couldn’t fix the problem as a whole, they could sort things out between themselves. But Baekhyun wasn’t sure if Chanyeol would even want to talk to him. 

When he said this to Sehun, his new friend honestly looked like he could strangle him. 

“You two are both complete idiots,” he deadpanned, “he’s out there moping because he misses you but is too much of a pussy. You’re in here downing orange juice because you are sad that he is sad but don’t want to make him sadder...that makes no fucking sense and you know it.”

Though he had a point, Baekhyun still wasn’t sure if this was the time or the place. They were in public with everybody Chanyeol had ever known and it didn’t feel appropriate to discuss such sensitive matters in front of people who had no business hearing about them. 

Once again, having an answer to absolutely everything, Sehun presented Baekhyun with the key to his own hotel room and suggested - no, demanded - that Baekhyun go and find Chanyeol and “sort their shit out.” 

With absolutely no room left to argue, Baekhyun conceded and walked off in search of his dumbo of a boyfriend. 

He found Chanyeol exactly where Sehun said he would; slouching on a sofa in the lobby, ripping the petals off a bouquet of poinsettias. He looked terrible once again and Baekhyun scolded himself for waiting so long to talk to him. 

“Those are expensive flowers, you know?” 

He sat down next to Chanyeol and removed the flowers from his shaking hands. Every fibre of his being told him to grab onto Chanyeol and pull him into a tight hug but he didn’t. Instead, he suggested that they head upstairs which Chanyeol agreed to numbly, following Baekhyun like a lost puppy. 

It felt a bit weird being in Sehun’s room which was littered with his and Junmyeon’s things but he soon got over it, making space on the bed for them both to sit down on.

“Chanyeol, I think we need to talk.”

As soon as he spoke, tears ran down Chanyeol’s face. The pain that Baekhyun felt upon seeing his boyfriend so broken, so sad was unlike any other pain he had ever experienced. If only he could turn back the clock, do things differently. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to fix his boyfriend’s broken heart in a hotel room the day before Christmas. 

“Let me go first,” even Chanyeol’s voice sounded broken and Baekhyun clung onto his arm in the hopes that it would prevent him from shattering altogether. “I’m so sorry, Baekhyun. More sorry than I will ever be able to articulate. I was a fucking asshole and you didn’t deserve that. I should have been honest but I’m a coward. I don’t know how to make this better, Baekhyun. I’m a fucking mess.”

That much was clear but Baekhyun wasn’t feeling quite as pessimistic. 

“I know, Chanyeol,” he said, moving to straddle Chanyeol’s lap so that he could properly look at him, holding onto Chanyeol’s cheeks so that his boyfriend couldn’t stare at the floor like it was his enemy anymore, “I know you are sorry. I’m not even mad at you, my lovely. I am so fucking worried about you, though. It hurts me more to see you sad than it ever would hurt to fight with you, I promise you that.” 

The tears that rolled down Chanyeol’s cheeks weren’t tears of sadness but they were tears of relief. That was all that needed to be said between them; that things were going to be okay and that there were no hard feelings. 

Hesitating at first, Chanyeol leaned up and chased Baekhyun’s mouth before catching his lips in between his own. The moment they kissed for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Baekhyun felt as though he had just taken a huge sip from the only lake in the desert, not having realised quite how much he craved Chanyeol’s touch. 

“I love you so much, Chanyeol. I don’t think you understand how much I care about you.”

“I love you, too Baek.”

It was Chanyeol’s turn to rest his head in Baekhyun’s chest then, pulling them both onto the bed so that they could lie together for a while, appreciating one another’s presence. 

“So,” Chanyeol spoke, breaking the comfortable silence, “Sehun, huh?” 

Baekhyun laughed at the absurdity of being in Chanyeol’s childhood friend’s hotel room, “yup. He’s my new best friend. A very wise and handsome man.” Then he cringed, remembering a minor detail he may have omitted, “erm...I may have...accidentally on purpose...told Sehun that you’re gay.”

He braced himself for more tears but they never came. Instead, he felt Chanyeol run his fingers through his hair and place a kiss on the top of his head. 

“That’s okay,” Chanyeol definitely meant it too, “Sehun deserves to lose his title as the only gay in the village. He gave himself the title anyway,” then he added for effect, to ensure that Baekhyun was confident Chanyeol meant what he said, “I really don’t mind. It was about time someone knew, anyway.”

Here came the question on everyone's lips, Baekhyun finally feeling brave enough to ask it.

“When will you tell your parents?” 

A silence fell between them and Baekhyun wondered if Chanyeol would never answer the question just as he had never told his parents the truth. 

“Soon.”

Baekhyun sighed. He should have seen it coming but he would be lying if he said he hadn’t hoped for a different response. 

"That's okay…"

"No," Chanyeol spluttered out, "like soon. As in...now."

"What!?"

Had Baekhyun known before arriving that he would be running through the entire hotel at the speed of light, he would definitely have worn different shoes. 

As soon as the idea had entered into Chanyeol’s mind, he was terrified that the moment of confidence would pass and that he would change his mind. So, without a second’s thought, he grabbed Baekhyun’s hand and pulled him up and out of the room, dragging him all the way to the main hall. 

When they arrived at the open double doors, framed with fake snow and glitter, both of them were out of breath and sweating. Chanyeol had to let go of Baekhyun’s hand and wipe the perspiration from his palms onto his brand new trousers.

“Yeol, are you sure about this?” Baekhyun was exhilarated. Of course he was. He had wanted to meet Chanyeol’s parents as Chanyeol’s actual boyfriend for years now. But he didn’t want Chanyeol to feel like he was being pushed or manipulated out of the closet. 

“I have never been more sure of anything in my life.” He spoke with an intensity akin to that of an Olympic athlete who was about to run the race of their life and with all of the determination he could muster, he walked into the hall with Baekhyun close behind him. 

Chanyeol made a beeline for the dancefloor and found a spot in the centre where he stood still, like a pin that had only recently sprung arms and had no idea how to use them. Baekhyun couldn’t help but momentarily admire him from a distance with a prideful smile. He was so proud of Chanyeol. They were really doing this. They were taking the leap. This was the best gift Chanyeol could have ever given him. 

The notes of a slow ballad were floating out of the speaker as Baekhyun walked over to Chanyeol, looking up at him with love and adoration, ready to ask if his boyfriend was certain once more. 

He wasn’t given the chance. Chanyeol wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s waist and beckoned for Baekhyun to do the same and began to sway to the music. 

In that moment, everything fell into place. The world, the watchful stares of the people in the room, the music all fell away until it was just the two of them. Chanyeol was practically glowing as he held Baekhyun tight and Baekhyun understood that feeling very well. The feeling of the weight of the universe falling from your shoulders. Once the final hurdle is cleared, once you have admitted to the world who you really are, there’s no going back. No matter what happens next, you are suddenly looking out at the rest of your life. 

Baekhyun knew his life would be special if Chanyeol was in it. 

They leaned in at the same time, as though there was a thread connecting both of them that was finally pulled tighter, and their lips touched. The kiss was only chaste but they had never before shared a kiss which held such meaning. 

As though suddenly remembering where they were, Chanyeol looked up and glanced around the room to spot his mother. 

She had seen them. With wide eyes she watched the entire scene unfold before her and she looked entirely shocked. But she didn’t look angry. In fact, she was smiling so widely with such joy in her eyes that Baekhyun started to get choked up. As soon as she saw the two men looking over to her, she started to bawl with happiness.

“I love you, Chanyeol!” She shouted across the room, not caring who was listening and despite the fact that both Yoora and Chanyeol were blatantly mortified, Baekhyun burst into laughter, tears of joy and relief falling. 

“You’ll set me off in a minute,” Chanyeol teased with a sniffle. He wiped Baekhyun’s tears away with his thumbs before pulling him in for a tight hug, “we did it.” 

They had done it. All of the stress from the past week was gone forever. 

“No, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun corrected him, “you did it. I’m only here for you. All of this, he gestured between them and over to Chanyeol’s mom who was excitedly talking Yoora’s ear off, “was you. And I have never been prouder.”

A bright red blush, matching the colour of the Christmas flowers, bloomed on Chanyeol’s cheeks and he moved his hands to rest on Baekhyun’s chest before pecking him on the forehead. Then he froze as his hand landed on top of something hard. Reaching around Baekhyun’s neck, he pulled out the locket and laughed. 

“You actually wore it,” he said in disbelief. 

“Sure! I wore it to remind me of how much of a cute idiot you are.”

When they kissed again, Baekhyun swore he could hear Chanyeol’s mom applauding them. 

  
  


*** 

5 YEARS LATER

“Hanna! Don’t eat the snow!” 

The courtyard was covered in a blanket of thick white snow which, while very picturesque, was a nightmare to drive over and drag suitcases of gifts over. The weather had been so bad, in fact, that Chanyeol didn’t want to drive over to his parents’ house until Christmas morning when the blizzard had finally stopped. 

None of this compared, however, to controlling a 3-year-old girl who had never seen proper snow before.

“Daddy! Daddy!” She cried, looking adorable in her bright yellow snowsuit and welly boots, “snowman!” 

Baekhyun left the gifts to Chanyeol and made his way over to their young daughter, leaning down to pick her up and leaving a sloppy raspberry on her rosy red cheeks. 

“We can build a snowman later,” he promised, “but we have to say Merry Christmas to gran and grandad first! And your cousin Jae is here to play!” 

At the mention of Jae, she was begging to be let down and let herself into the house. Then she was gone and out of her dads’ sight. 

“She’s going to be a handful,” Chanyeol sighed, struggling to carry the huge bags of presents, “I hope she doesn’t cause chaos.”  
  


Baekhyun helped Chanyeol by taking one of the bags out of his hands and kicking the door open lightly.

“She’s a kid, Yeol,” Baekhyun chuckled, “she’s bound to cause chaos at Christmas. Kind of like someone else I know.”  
  


Chanyeol’s pout made Baekhyun’s heart swell and he couldn’t help but peck it with his lips. 

“Are you really going to bring that up every year?” He whined. 

When Baekhyun was a young boy, he thought he had experienced the best of Christmas. But when Baekhyun was a child, Christmas was all about dreaming. It was about admiring the beauty, the magic, the lights, and dreaming of something otherworldly where happiness resided. 

When Baekhyun met Chanyeol, he thought Christmas was about new traditions and the right amount of tinsel and the man he cared about more than anything. Those years were about building memories that he could cherish in the future. 

When they adopted Hanna, it became clear to Baekhyun what Christmas was all about. 

“Dads!” Hanna cried as she skipped into the hallway, her hair all dishevelled from where she’d torn her bobble hat off, “did you really get me a bike for Christmas!!?! I love you like I love cake!” 

She wrapped her tiny arms around her fathers’ legs before vanishing again, forever running at the speed of light. 

“Jae!? Did you tell her about the bike,” Yoora screamed from the kitchen. 

Hanna made Baekhyun realise that Christmas was about love. As he listened to the joyful screams of his beloved daughter, felt the lips of his lifelong love pressing delicately on his temple, Baekhyun knew that he had all of the love in the world that he needed. 

When he was a boy, Baekhyun had Christmas all wrong. Because Christmas was about cherishing now and cherishing time with the people you love.

“I love you more than you will ever know,” Baekhyun whispered to Chanyeol out of nowhere.

“Of course I know,” Chanyeol said, astounded that Baekhyun would even say that, “because I love you the exact same.”

When Chanyeol reached into his back pocket and pulled out a squashed branch of mistletoe, Baekhyun laughed at the absurdity of it all, transporting himself back to a time when he only had Chanyeol. Chanyeol alone was enough but Baekhyun’s heart was practically bursting on that Christmas in particular. 

They kissed as though they had never kissed before. 

They only stopped when they heard a little girl gagging from beside their feet. 

  
  


\- The End - 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to you all x 
> 
> Twitter : @yeoloutof10


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